Advice on settling new cat

[Newkittycat]

Hi, new to this section of mumsnet, and so excited to be here!

We brought home our adopted cat today, first cat we've had. We've done lots of research, been given lots of advice from the rescue and had got all the essentials (and a few extras 🫢) however kitty cat isn't following the rules! I understand I should have expected this 😂

We set up a quiet area with all that she needs and expected it to be a little while before she was confident to explore. Nope, she was straight out and wandering around and curled up asleep on my lap within the hour (not complaining about this at all 😍) and she hasn't ventured back to her quiet space since. She seems to have settled in the lounge and hasn't really left that room since. Shes found a little hidey spot in our alcove between the sofa and the wall so we have moved her blanket that came with her into it and shes been sleeping there. She went back to the quiet hallway for her dinner when I showed it to her.

Anyway, has she picked the lounge as her own quiet zone? Which actually isn't that quiet with the kids in it! Do I need to move the food, water and litter into the lounge or will she go back to where it is when she wants it?

She hasn't used the litter tray yet and hasn't done a wee or poo anywhere else, do I need to be worried about this?

Also, what do we do tonight, do we leave her down here by herself? Move her back to the quiet place we set up? Take her up with us? And if we take her up do we need to bring the litter tray and bowls etc with us?

Lastly, if there are any other tips to help her settle or prepare her for going outside in 4-6 weeks then please share. And how we can help her settle with the children too (age 4-9).

Already learned about cat tax, here she is peeping out of her self selected hidey hole earlier today and her current position tonight

She’s lovely! Others may disagree, but I would leave her to it, as long as she knows where the litter tray and food/water are. If you wanted to keep her in the quiet room you would have needed to shut her in there (we did not do this with either of our cats as I don’t like the idea of it, so that’s not a criticism!) so she didn’t go wandering.

We did keep our boy’s food/water/litter in the living room for the first few days but we didn’t restrict his access to the rest of the house. He tended to eat/toilet at night and was a bit hidey/hissy, but by the end of the first week he was all over the place and we had food/water in the kitchen and litter trays in the utility, hall and (other side of) the kitchen.

In terms of settling, our girl cat we rehomed direct from a family where she was becoming stressed by noisy young children, and after about three days it was like she’d always lived here. Our little boy had been a stray kitten then in foster care (he was one when we adopted him) so had had a lot of upheaval and took a bit longer - it was a few months before he really felt like “our cat” and like he felt like he was truly “home”. He was friendly and polite but quite reserved, until he wasn’t at all, and now he’s a lovely cuddly wee lad. (And in fairness him not feeling like our cat is probably partly because we adopted him shortly after we had to have our lovely girl pts.) We had three cat beds dotted around the house, and he took to sleeping in the kitchen one straight away - but he also liked being on top of the fridge/freezer and I eventually put an Amazon box up there which he still sometimes hops up into! He’s currently snoozing in the living room bed by the radiator, delighted the heating’s on.

We adopted our girl in July and just started leaving the back door open when we were in and out of the garden, and she would wander in and out with us. With Louie it was last April, and in May I started letting him out for short bursts, always accompanied - he was mad for exploring initially, then had a good four or five weeks when he didn’t bother going out. I think again it was about him knowing he was really “home” and would be able to come back. We’re quite lucky as neither cat has really roamed and both have come in when shouted. We trained our girl to come in with Dreamies. She ended up expecting a snack every time she came in, then got a bit fat - being told to put her on a diet by the vet was a low - so don’t do that!

If I had one tip rather than this essay I would say talk to the cat constantly so she gets to know your voice.

I would leave the cat to it. We humans always have these fixed ideas about where the cat should sleep (maybe in the cozy cat bed or top of the climbing tree), but they will choose their own spots (on the hard table top next to a bright light, under laundry racks with wet clothes dripping on them). They will also switch their sleeping spots regularly, so one week they may sleep in your bed, another week on the couch, third week on the table, and so on. Don't worry about the cat, it will settle somewhere it finds cosy.

Our cat didn't poo the first day, did pee at some point I think. If she is litter tray trained, she hould understand where to go, for as long as you've shown the spot.

Cats don't like food and water bowls next to each other, I keep them in different rooms (but I guess you don't need to be this extreme.

Just play lots with your gorgeous kitty, and have good time bonding :)

Per @Pearlyb we have a water dish in a separate room to food, plus one in the kitchen. (He tends to drink from the living room bowl but is closed into the kitchen at night otherwise he’s a total pain at sunrise, so needs water there too.)

My very human oriented rescue also wanted to be with us right away. Sounds like you hit the jackpot!
Hopefully she likes the litter tray: only worry is that she chooses some other location for a poo, but you will find out soon enough!

I would just let her get on with it - we’ve brought home multiple cats and never confined them anywhere even when introducing them to our existing residents. We’ve never had any problems or fights.

All cats are different. Don't move the litter tray but do put her in it a few times so that she knows where it is and what it is. And keep the food and water away from it.

Apart from that, go get some boxes and jingly balls for her to play with. That's all cats really need. Cardboard boxes are the best toy a cat can have IMHO.

Don't get me wrong @Judystilldreamsofhorses , I'm glad she felt comfortable enough to come straight out, it's just that all I had read and everything I was told suggested she wouldn't do that, so I was wondering if I needed to create a new area for her. How did you train yours to come back in from outside? I'm hoping ours doesn't roam far but I will feel better if I know she will come when called.

Thank you to everyone else for the advice and reassurance. When we went to bed I took her to the litter tray and put her in it, she kept straight out again. She followed us up to bed and curled up in the pod I had put in our room, only temporarily though before she decided to go around the house trying out all the human beds until she found one she liked!

@EBoo80 I do feel like I've hit the jackpot. Today she hasn't hidden away at all she's been right in the centre of family life. Following me around everywhere and eager to get on my lap as soon as I'm sat down!

I didnt realize food and water had to be separate so thank you all, I moved the water and she came straight up for a big drink, she's also taken herself and used the litter tray for both a wee and poo.

Shes doing so well already and I can't believe how much we all love her already! 😍

Hello - we have literally just been through this last Friday and got some great advice on here - primarily to be led by the cat! We tried to set up a sleeping zone in the kitchen but our boy sobbed all night ( and stole treats) so now he's in with us. During the day he snoozes on the sofa or on our bed in between performing high wire gymnastics. I am really worried about letting him out as he will probably try and escape our cat proofed garden - and may well succeed - but we'll cross that bridge in a few weeks time.

I've never kept food and water bowls separate.

Gorgeous kitty 😍

@Newkittycat with both cats we initially went in and out with them - and made sure they got a “reward” for coming in. With our girl she got a treat when she came in, then during Covid she got wise to that and someone being here all the time for door/snacks (we don’t have a cat flap so cat is in if we’re out and in overnight) and got to be a chonky girl!

Our boy tends to roll around the floor purring and looking for “tummies” when he gets in, so gets that instead.

I think cats quickly learn where they live, and also that they are onto a good thing. We had very occasional nights with our girl cat in the absolute height of summer when she would flat refuse to come in, but even then she actually slept under a bush (!) in our garden where she was clearly visible and safe. We have a utility between the back door and kitchen, so can lock the kitchen door but keep the back door open if need be - there’s an old cat bed beside the tumble dryer in there and a litter tray.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses thank you for the tips, we shall try both the treats and the affection and see which works. To be honest, now she's been here a few days I'm a little less concerned about her being out, she's following me everywhere around the house and at the very least made sure she is in the same room as me. Also seems very food orientated and comed running with any kind of 'packet' sound, so I dont think she's likely to stray far and very likely to come in with a rustle of a food packet